Atomizer head



Jan. 4, 1966 R. D. STEWART ATOMI ZER HEAD ATTORN EY Jan. 4, 1966 R. D. STEWART 3,227,378

ATOMIZER HEAD Filed Dec.` 24, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

m D. maar BY ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent O Fice 3,227,378 ATOMIZER HEAD Robert D. Stewart, 22 Saunders Terrace, Wellesley Hills, Mass. Filed Dec. 24, 1963, Ser. No. 333,157 2 Claims. (Cl. 239-412) The present invention relates to atomizer heads and particularly to such heads where one fluid, usually air, is employed both to atomize another fluid, usually water, and to open a normally closed valve in control of the latter fluid.

Valves of this type have been used to some extent that have hitherto been unsatisfactory either because the construction of the water-controlling valve often resulted in its leaking and because the construction did not combine simplicity of construction and low cost with efiiciency and ease of service and adjustment under a widely varied range of operating conditions and requirements.

The general objective of the invention is to provide atomizing heads that will be free of the generally stated shortcomings of nozzles of the type under consideration. In accordance with the objective, this objective is attained by providing an atomizer comprising a body having a recess in its rear end and an axial passage extending from end-to-en-d of the body and including a nozzle at its front end which projects beyond the front end of the body and is of conical form. The body also has a second passage effecting communication between the recess and the front end thereof. A second nozzle having an axial discharge port is attached to the front end of the body and has a conical cavity fitted over the conical, projecting portion of the first nozzle and defines therewith a forwardly tapering air passageway in communication with the second passage. Typically, a water inlet is in communication with the axial passage and a conduit for air under pressure is connected to the second passageway of the body.

A piston is slidably sealed in the axial passage of the body rearwardly of the water inlet and carries a diaphragm marginally sealed to the body and closing the rear of the rear end recess. Rearward movement of the piston is opposed by a spring adjustably connected to the body of the atomizer head. The piston and the first nozzle include interengageable valve portions with the valve portion of the piston yieldably held in engagement with the valve portion of the nozzle by the spring to provide a normal piston portion in which the flow through the first nozzle is shut off. When air -is delivered into the second passage, it is operative to deflect the diaphragm, drawing the piston rearwardly and unseating the valve element of the piston, and also to atomize the water then delivered through the first nozzle.

In the drawings, there is shown an illustrat-ive embodiment of the invention from which these and other of its objectives, novel features and advantages will be readily apparent.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section through an atomizer head in accordance with the invention, and

FIGURE 2 is an exploded view of the head with some of the parts being shown in section.

The head shown in the drawings includes a body 5 having threaded front and rear ends 6 and 7, respectively, with the end 7 being recessed to provide a cylindrical chamber 8 and the front end 6 having an annular groove 9. The body 5 has an axial bore 10 extending from endto-end thereof, the front of which being threaded to receive the first nozzle 11 and counterbored to receive the seal 11A. The nozzle 11 is provided with apassage 12 extending from end-to-end thereof and its exposed end l' 13 is of conical form. The body 5 is also provided with a water conduit being threaded in the bore 15 and the fitting 18 of an air conduit being threaded in the bore 16.

An atomizer nozzle 19 having a cavity 20 comple-v mental in shape to, but somewhat larger than the end `13 of the nozzle 11 and has a skirt 21 threaded on the body` end 6 with a seal 22 clamped thereagainst by Aa nozzle shoulder 23. The end 13 of the nozzle 11 and the cavity 20 of the nozzle 19 define a conical air passage generally indicated at 24 and effecting communication between the annular groove 9 and the axial discharge port 25.

A bonnet 26 has a skirt 27 threaded on the body end 6 with a seal 28 and the periphery of a diaphragm 29 is clamped thereagainst by the bonnet shoulder 30. The bonnet has a threaded, axial bore 31 for an adjusting nut 32 having a forwardly opening socket 33.

A piston 34 is a slidable fit in the bore 10 and has an annular groove 35 for an O-ring seal 36. At its rear end the piston 34 has a threaded stem 37 to receive the nut 38 by which the diaphragm 29 is secured to the piston 34. The nut 38 has a stem 39 and a coiled compression spring 40 backed by the nut 32 and entrant of its socket 33 has its front end held by the stem 39 against the rear end of the nut 38 thereby urging the piston 34 forwardly. The piston 34 is shown as having a forwardly disposed, cylindrical portion 41 of reduced diameter and a stem 42 freely fitting the passage 12 of the first nozzle 11 and supporting a valve element 43 which is seated against the forward end of the valve portion 41 and is engageable with the annulus 44 with which the rear end of the nozzle 11 is provided. The cylindrical portion 41 is so dimensioned that when the valve element 43 is seated, the front end of the piston 34 is rearwardly of the water inlet bore 15.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that with the water line 17 open, no water is discharged until the air conduit 18 is opened. Air under pressure is then delivered via the passage 14 into the chamber 8 so that the diaphragm 29 is subjected to actuating pressure thereby moving the piston 34 rearwardly against the seating action of the spring 33 to effect the delivery of water through the nozzle 11. Air is also delivered by the passage 14 into the converging passage 24 thus to atomize the water passing through the nozzle 11. The action of the atomizer head is adjustable not only by conventional valve controls for the conduits 17 and 18 but also by adjustments of the spring 40 by turning the cap 32 in one direction or the other.

By closing the air conduit 18, the water flow is automatically shut off with the closing of the water flow to the nozzle 11 being effectively controlled by the proper guidance of the piston 34 which insures effective engagement of the valve element 43 with the rear end of the nozzle 11.

I claim:

1. An atomizer comprising a body having a recess in its rear end, an axial passage extending from end-to-end of said body and including a nozzle at its front end, a second passage also extending from end-to-end of said body, a water inlet in communication with said axial passage, and an air inlet in connection with the second passage, the front end of said nozzle being conical, a second nozzle attached to the front end of said body and having a conical cavity dirnensioned to provide with said conical nozzle end a tapering air passageway in communication with said second passage, said second nozzle having an axial discharge port, a piston 4in said axial passage, said piston Patented Jan. 4, 1966V including a rst cylindrical portion slidably fitting said passage and having an annular groove, a seal of the O- ring type in said groove to seal the space between said portions and said body and including a diaphragm peripherally sealed to the rear end of said portion and to said body to close said recess, an axially adjustable member attached to the rear end of said body, a spring interposed between said member and said piston, said piston including a forwardly disposed stem freely entrant of said i'irst nozzle passage, an intermediate cylindrical portion of a diameter greater than that of said stem but less than that of said first portion, and a valve element backed by said intermediate portion and yieldably held in engagement with the rear end of said first nozzle by said spring until air under pressure is admitted into said second body passage both to deflect said diaphragm thereby to unseat said valve element and to atomize the liquid then delivered through the then opened first nozzle passage, said intermediate portion being of such length that, when the valve element is seated, the first cylindrical portion is rearwardly of the water inlet port.

2. The atomizer of claim 1 in which the rst cylindrical portion of the piston has a nut threaded axially to its rear face and clamping the diaphragm thereto, the nut has a stem engaged by and holding centered the forward end of the spring, and the other end of the spring is centered and backed by the axially adjustable member, the spring being otherwise unsupported.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ATOMIZER COMPRISING A BODY HAVING A RECESS IN ITS REAR END, AN AXIAL PASSAGE EXTENDING FROM END-TO-END OF SAID BODY AND INCLUDING A NOZZLE AT ITS FRONT END, A SECOND PASSAGE ALSO EXTENDING FROM END-TO-END OF SAID BODY, A WATER INLET IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID AXIAL PASSAGE, AND AN AIR INLET IN CONNECTION WITH THE SECOND PASSAGE, THE FRONT END OF SAID NOZZLE BEING CONICAL, A SECOND NOZZLE ATTACHED TO THE FRONT END OF SAID BODY AND HAVING A CONICAL CAVITY DIMENSIONED TO PROVIDE WITH SAID CONICAL NOZZLE END A TAPERING AIR PASSAGEWAY IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID SECOND PASSAGE, SAID SECOND NOZZLE HAVING AN AXIAL DISCHARGE PORT, A PISTON IN SAID AXIAL PASSAGE, SAID PISTON INCLUDING A FIRST CYLINDRICAL PORTION SLIDABLY FITTING SAID PASSAGE AND HAVING AN ANNULAR GROOVE, A SEAL OF THE ORING TYPE IN SAID GROOVE TO SEAL THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID PORTIONS AND SAID BODY AND INCLUDING A DIAPHRAGM PERIPHERALLY SEALED TO THE REAR END OF SAID PORTION AND TO SAID BODY TO CLOSE SAID RECESS, AN ADXIALLY ADJUSTABLE MEM BER ATTACHED TO THE REAR END OF SAID BODY, A SPRING INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID MEMBER AND SAID PISTON, SAID PISTON INCLUDING A FORWARDLY DISPOSED STEM FREELY ENTRANT OF SAID FIRST NOZZLE PASSAGE, AN INTERMEDIATE CYLINDRICAL PORTION OF A DIAMETER GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID STEM BUT LESS THAN THAT OF SAID FIRST PORTION, AND A VALVE ELEMENT BACKED BY SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION AND YIELDABLY HELD IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE REAR END OF SAID FIRST NOZZLE BY SAID SPRING UNTIL AIR UNDER PRESSURE IS ADMITTED INTO SAID SECOND BODY PASSAGE BOTH TO DEFLECT SAID DIAPHRAGM THEREBY TO UNSEAT SAID VALVE ELEMENT AND TO ATOMIZE THE LIQUID THEN DELIVERED THROUGH THE THEN OPENED FIRST NOZZLE PASSAGE, SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION BEING OF SUCH LENGTH THAT, WHEN THE VALVE ELEMENT IS SEATED, THE FIRST CYLINDRICAL PORTION IS REARWARDLY OF THE WATER INLET PORT. 